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Highlights from Hill City
October 7th, 2009 by Lindsey Karlson
Last week I had the opportunity to spend four days with the folks in Hill City. SD during a design:SD charrette. I say opportunity for several reasons: it is a special thing when a community invites a team in and believes they will produce something they need, and it is awesome when fifteen individually talented strangers at the start become friends lending their talents towards a common goal.
The experience always leaves me with new impressions, ideas, and hopes. Project Hill City was no different. Below is an unedited, incomplete, and completely biased view of my impressions in Hill City. I hope my mates will fill in where I’m off track.
Preserve What’s Special
The folks in Hill City continually shared that preserving the “feel” of Hill City was top priority. Naming what that feeling is was a bit more difficult; everything from unique character, charm, history, arts, natural beauty, and the list goes on.
The point is, there was something special to capture about Hill City that is different than the next community, but that each community has (or should develop) that same sense. Figuring out how to put words to it will help you make decisions regarding your community brand and design.
Unintended Consequences
During our learning studio, we heard that some Hill City residents desired an events center: a place where people could be housed and entertained in one convenient location.
What the design team realized is that Hill City is already an events center. Adding a separate events center (likely to be located on the fringes of the community or out of the city limits altogether) may actually detract from the culture Hill City is trying to create. Our recommendation is to use existing places and spaces to meet the needs of events that will be held in Hill City.
Tourists and Residents Have Different Needs
Who are you going to plan for? Understanding how residents and tourists use your community differently may help guide a comprehensive plan. One example is of this is shared in the video below.
Matt’s point is this: parking needs are different for residents than they are for tourists, so plan accordingly.
Design Impacts Community
Hill City has been able to reinvent its downtown area due to the influence of the arts. Several prominent artists house galleries in Hill City, and dozens more display their works in the galleries and shops along Main Street. I think it is no coincidence that the community describes itself as able to work together well. Downtown places, and the interaction that they encourage, help residents build social capital, contributing to a community’s ability to get along. (sort of like the “third places” Mike keeps talking about)
These are just a few of the highlights I’ve come away from Hill City with. All of the design:SD boards are available for viewing below. I’d be interested in what you think!
Tags: design charrette, Design SD, Hill City SD, South Dakota
Posted in Community Development, Community Engagement, Quality of Life, Rural, Training and Events | Comments (
2 )
October 7th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I love Hill City. From the tourist perspective, I always get a great vibe walking/biking through downtown. Stuff is happening there! Lots of people to look at (at least during the tourism season). Do locals get that same vibe? And how does having the main highway run right down the center of that downtown affect that downtown feeling?
October 8th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Cory, great questions. Here’s my take.
The residents in Hill City are proud of how their community has developed in the last 15 years. They recognize that tourism is a part of their economic future, and are trying to become a year-round destination. At the same time, they want to be a community first. It’s about more than tourism to them, and they are also working hard to fill in the blanks there.
As far as the highway is concerned. Some residents feel that having the traffic of highway 16 running through Main Street has made Hill City what it is today. Others feel that it is encumbering continued growth and development (for instance, have a state owned Main Street means that you can’t make improvements that might positively impact the ‘vibe’ you speak of). Several years ago, the DOT constructed a by-pass of Main Street (Railroad Avenue)–it runs just one block east of the current Main Street. Now, the state has indicated that they only want to maintain one highway route through town, and have offered Main Street back to the City of Hill City. The residents and city have an opportunity to take back Main Street, and create some interesting elements along with it. I’m certainly looking forward to see what happens in Hill City in the next few years!